BNP Activists Assault Journalist Inside Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan Office in Dhaka

In a troubling incident highlighting ongoing attacks on journalists in Bangladesh, a reporter was physically assaulted by activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) inside the party chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka, local media sources reported.

Jahidul Islam, a staff reporter for the daily newspaper Daily Amar Desh, was attacked on Sunday afternoon while recording a dispute between party candidates from Sylhet division inside the office.

“I was at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office since morning, collecting news and interviewing nomination seekers. Around 4:30 p.m., tensions escalated among the candidates, leading to a scuffle,” Jahidul explained to The Daily Star, one of Bangladesh’s leading newspapers.

“When I attempted to film the incident on my phone, three to four men dragged me into a room and beat me. They smashed my phone. Despite showing my press ID, they confiscated it and forcibly expelled me from the office,” he added.

Jahidul identified Mohammad Faisal, an office staffer who works as a cameraman for BNP’s social media, as one of the attackers.

“Faisal broke my phone, hit me, and was joined by others who assaulted me and pushed me out onto the main road,” he said.

Several other journalists present during the incident reportedly faced harassment as well.

The attack sparked outrage among the journalist community, who condemned the violence, destruction of property, and the seizure of Jahidul’s press ID as unacceptable assaults on press freedom.

Borhan Uddin, Chief Reporter of Dhaka Mail, told Bengali daily Jugantor, “Faisal, who led the assault on my fellow journalists, including Jahidul, is extremely influential within the party despite being absent since August 5. BNP must take swift action by filing a case and ensuring his arrest. Journalists must not be targeted like this.”

Last week, Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIM) expressed deep concern over a wave of recent attacks on media personnel across the country, implicating local criminals, charity leaders, and some law enforcement officials.

BJIM condemned these assaults, calling them a serious violation of press freedom and a worrying setback for media rights in Bangladesh.

Source: IANS